An illegal party bringing together 300 people was dispersed in Marseille and more than 150 of these revelers were fined. Several hundred people participated in a wild party on Friday morning in the town of Lieuron, south of Rennes.
Le Monde with AFP
Government directives, the threat of fines and the large police force deployed throughout France will not have dissuaded some from gathering to celebrate the New Year, despite the curfew.
An illegal party bringing together 300 people was thus interrupted and dispersed by the police overnight in Marseille and more than 150 of these revelers were fined for violating the curfew, according to police sources.
The three alleged organizers of this party, in a village hall in the 10th th arrondissement, in the eastern districts of Marseille, were arrested and placed in police custody for endangering the lives of others and concealed work, it was said on the side of the prosecutor of the Republic of Marseille, Dominique Laurens.
In addition to the 150 or so party-goers who were fined 135 euros for breaking the curfew rules, two other people were arrested, the ‘one for insulting people in public order and rebellion, the other for rebellion and violence against people in public order, especially with a weapon.
A clandestine party bringing together nearly 500 people had already been interrupted in Marseille, mid-December, in the northern districts of the Marseille city. It was the largest illegal gathering reported in France since the start of the coronavirus crisis.
In Ille-et-Villaine, several hundred people participated in a wild party on Friday morning in the town de Lieuron, south of Rennes, according to the prefecture.
“There is a gathering of a few hundred teufeurs in Lieuron. There are always people, “said the prefecture, confirming information from Ouest-France . “A prefectural decree prohibited this type of gathering,” added the prefecture, specifying that a point would be made at the end of the morning on the consequences of this wild party.
On a video from Ouest-France, one can distinguish hundreds of young people having fun in what looks like a rave, without real respect for barrier gestures.
“Things are going relatively well”
The Minister of the interior, Gérald Darmanin, had asked at the beginning of the week to the prefects to privilege “the fight against unauthorized gatherings and the phenomena of urban violence”. On a visit last night to the Nanterre police station (Hauts-de-Seine), he insisted on the instructions given to the prefects “so that the curfew is particularly respected”.
“I have no particular concerns”, because “things are going relatively well”, he added, recalling that since the the curfew was introduced on December 15, the police had carried out “more than 560,000 checks” and “30,000 tickets”.
Any violation of the curfew is punishable by fine of 135 euros, which can reach 3,750 euros in the event of a repeat offense.
In total, according to the Ministry of the Interior, 100,000 members of the police were mobilized “against 20,000 for a normal evening “, which is as much as last year when hundreds of thousands of people were expected on the Champs-Elysées alone, in Paris.
In Gironde, the fo rces of the order took care in particular to suppress “the organization of clandestine parties or unauthorized gatherings, which present a particularly high risk for public health”, according to the prefecture. And road checks have been tightened in order to “fight against driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs”.